The House of the Rising Sun
by artrista
Summary: [A/U] Zuko escapes a cult at sixteen, leaving his past but keeping his scars. He establishes a life for himself in the outside world, and after ten years thinks he has left the Rising Sun for good... until his disheveled sister shows up in his apartment and drags him and his pregnant fiancee into a waking nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

_Zuko had never felt such panic._

 _It made him breathless. It made him beg._

 _That was his ultimate downfall. In his household, in his world, any sign of weakness was snuffed out like one of the ceremonial candles._

 _He was on his hands and knees and he suddenly knew what it felt like to be betrayed and burned at the same time. The pain seared his skin and made him think that perhaps he would die. Dying seemed pleasant to him, but he could feel nothing but agony._

 _Zuko passed out._

 _When he woke, he reached to the side of his face and felt bandages and a twinge of pain. He felt sick to his stomach and his head hurt. Maybe painkillers? Of course, Zuko did not know why his father would ever give those to him after his very small transgression._

 _Ozai wanted to get rid of him like he got rid of everything that reminded him of his runaway wife. He was not surprised that he faced such punishment._

 _He sat up and looked around his room. It was decorated with solely sun symbols and scarlet paint. That was how every single building he had ever been in looked like. The color of blood and burned skin was the color of his world._

 _Zuko knew one thing when his head stopped spinning._

 _His mother escaped this place. He could do that too._

 _At least, he thought he could._

* * *

Ten years later, Zuko stood in the hallway of a Los Angeles apartment building, juggling grocery bags as he tried to get his key out of his pocket. It was a very specific list of Katara's, and he thought he probably got it right. His knowledge of the outside world went out of the window when he fell in love, and now he was slowly being introduced to the idea of fatherhood like a steak on a pan.

The door opened just as he found his key.

"I thought you were at work," Zuko said as Katara grabbed one of the bags from him. The relief of the burden felt incredible.

"I came home after one of my patients cancelled her appointment," she said. She looked and sounded odd; she looked like she had seen a ghost. "Zuko, I can't explain this to you on a doorstep. Will you come inside?"

"Are you being held hostage?" he whispered, unable to ignore that she was sweating, shaking slightly and still in scrubs. He meant it as a joke, but then adrenaline surged inside of his veins; he remembered that she very well could be killed at any moment because of his past, his family, his...

 _Sister_.

"You are about to try to smile at me. You will not mean it. Don't bother," said Azula, who might as well have been dead for ten years.

Azula sat on his futon. She looked worse than Katara did, and much older than she was when he last saw her. His sister must be in her twenties now, and she looked it. He almost dropped dead just seeing her; he knew that the Rising Sun would catch up to him, but he had hoped he would have more time.

Zuko stopped Katara from shutting the door by gently seizing her wrist, whispering to her, "We might need to escape quickly."

"She seems harmless, and really traumatized," Katara said, which was clearly her diagnosis as a doctor. He wanted to trust his brilliant fiancée, but Azula's famed dishonesty overrode that part of his brain.

"She's not," he hissed, taking an involuntary step backwards when she met his gaze.

"He has reason to be afraid," Azula said to Katara. She then turned back to Zuko, giving him that surge of nerves again. "But if I wanted to kill you or tattle to daddy I would have a week ago, when I found you. I have been watching you since and you have not been harmed."

"That's creepy," he snarled, aghast that she was stalking him, and disgusted at himself for not being more careful. Katara was pregnant; he should be protecting her from his past.

"That's necessary," Azula coldly said, speaking like the psychopath he knew she was. "Don't act like we trust each other. I didn't know anything about you yet."

"Okay, so _why_ did you find and stalk me?" he demanded, wishing he had a weapon. Armed creeps were probably about to burst in at any moment.

"I ran away," Azula answered, her tone now distant and slightly dreamy. "You are the only person I know who has ever done it successfully. Other than our mother, of course, but you can understand why I would seek you out instead of her."

Zuko snapped, "Look—"

"Give her a chance," Katara interrupted, stepping towards Azula. He tried to stop her, but the bags of food prevented him from doing it.

"You don't know her," Zuko said harshly. "You don't know my sister."

Katara studied him for a silent moment and then shook her head. "You might not either. It's been ten years."

Azula smirked and said, "Your fiancée is clearly smarter than you. Oh, don't pat yourself on the back. That's not much of a contest."

Zuko thought it through as quickly as he could and made his decision. "Okay, I'll help you if you answer one question. Why did you run away?"

"I met someone," said Azula without hesitation. He wondered if that was good or bad.

"And you're not staying with them because…?" he inquired.

Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Because they found us, and we had to make a very risky escape. I decided to track you down because you left and stayed gone and stayed alive."

"You tracked me down, leading anyone following you directly to me and my pregnant fiancée." Zuko clenched his jaw and briefly fantasized about pushing her out of his apartment window.

"No one is following us," Azula said crisply, not relieving him of eye contact. "I assure you."

"Because you killed them." Zuko turned his head away so that her gaze could not follow him.

"Zuko!" exclaimed Katara, slapping his shoulder. He laughed mirthlessly.

"Close," Azula said in a sugary sweet voice that made him feel sick. "It was a slightly lesser crime. Arson."

"Where is he, Azula?" brutally demanded Zuko. "The person you were willing to leave your perfect life for."

" _She_ is waiting in her car," said Azula.

Zuko smiled at her and she looked puzzled. "You have a car you can sleep in. Good. Glad to know you're safe. It has been so great catching up and—"

"This isn't about crashing on my brother's couch," Azula spat, her golden eyes flashing with that wickedness he knew she could never fully erase. "This is about needing to disappear like you did."

"Oh, this is actually kind of nice." Zuko laughed again as the two women remained silent. "Am I better than you at something?"

Katara cleared her throat. "Why don't we all four go get dinner? This conversation is not going so well."

Azula gave a slippery, serpentine smile. "She is way too good for you, ZuZu."

Katara snickered. "ZuZu?"

He dropped the grocery bags on the floor and groaned.

* * *

Zuko had to admit that his sister's girlfriend was attractive, friendly, and probably brainwashed into somehow liking Azula. No one as sweet as Ty Lee should be in love with his sister. Azula also was not the type of person to abandon her inheritance for _romance_.

They were at a cozy pizza parlor and Azula looked hilariously confused by it. Zuko enjoyed that part; she was as inept at the real world as he was, and he liked seeing her as something other than the deity everyone made her out to be. The paranoia in her eyes, however, made him uncomfortable. He could remember feeling that way, but it looked more disturbing on her.

"So, do you two know if you're having a boy or a girl yet?" Ty Lee asked, smiling brightly at him and Katara. Zuko continuing glaring at Azula.

And so Katara said, "We won't until it's born. My gran-gran always said that's life's greatest surprise."

She was evidently warming up to Ty Lee too fast. Zuko could not trust her if she was linked to Azula in any shape or form.

"Our turn to ask a question now. It's a game. Azula loves games," Zuko interrupted, glancing between the two women. "How did you two meet?"

Azula spoke for the first time since they arrived at the restaurant. "At the circus."

"Funny." Zuko scowled; he could not handle her.

"That wasn't a joke," snapped Azula. "I met her at the circus. She's an acrobat."

"Why were you at the circus?" Zuko asked, leaning in and staring her down.

"To release all of the animals," Azula snarled with an unhealthy level of condescending sarcasm. "I went to see the damned circus. Why else would anyone go to the circus?"

"When did you last sleep?" Katara asked, unable to shake off the doctor in her.

"I don't remember," Azula replied, her lips curled in either a mocking smile or an impatient snarl.

"How did you escape?" Zuko asked.

"I didn't technically escape," Azula explained, slightly calmer now. "I left under official business and never came home. It wasn't escaping. It was overstaying my visa."

"Official business?" Zuko demanded.

Azula sighed as if he were an idiot. "To recruit people. I am very persuasive and attractive; it suits me."

"And you went to recruit people at the circus." Zuko rubbed his temples. She stared at his scar.

"No, I went on a date to the circus," she explained as soon as she stopped impolitely gawking.

"With her?" Zuko nodded at Ty Lee, who was very focused on eating her Hawaiian personal pizza. She said something earlier about how she had not eaten anything that didn't come out of a vending machine in two weeks.

"With the guy I was actively recruiting," Azula explained. "I lost him by the end of the night. Why are you quizzing me? This food is terrible. Do you have a gun?"

Zuko's eyes flickered and flared from pure, unadulterated anger. "I'm quizzing you because you are going to ruin my new life and get me and my fiancée and my unborn child _killed_. It doesn't even matter if you're lying or not because this can't end well. Even if you got up and walked away and went home right now, I would be screwed. That's if you don't lie and tell father I kidnapped you."

"Don't talk to me like that in front of my girlfriend," Azula snapped, looking about to bite him.

"I'll talk to you however I want," Zuko snapped, and it felt very satisfying to say. "You don't have any power over me anymore."

"You are very frightened," Azula purred, slipping away from her paranoid appearance and fast words. "I'd consider that to be power over you, wouldn't you?"

"You are very on thin ice," growled Zuko, "and I will end you if you try to hurt me and the people I love."

Katara and Ty Lee turned to them.

"Maybe we should pay the bill and go home." Katara had never spoke wiser words.

* * *

After returning home and settling sleeping arrangements, Katara turned to her fiancé.

Concerned, she inquired, "That's Azula's second shower tonight. Is that a…?"

"It's not a cult thing. I don't know why. She hates water, so I don't know why she suddenly wants to shower so much," Zuko gruffly said as he shut the linen closet door. His arms were full of the guest sheets, and he could not believe this was happening.

"What's wrong?" Katara demanded, crossing her arms. It was awkward with the baby bump.

Sighing, "I don't trust her," Zuko said as he tossed blankets onto the futon. "I also don't approve of letting her sleep in my room."

" _Our_ room," Katara corrected with that stubborn look in her cobalt eyes. "And if she has been through anything like what you have, I think she can stay in _our_ bed."

"She had it all way easier," Zuko shouted, not giving a damn about neighbors or spies. "Everybody loved her and she was good at everything and no one ever burned half of her face off."

"Why don't you trust her?" Katara inquired with a quizzical expression.

"They let her out to recruit people," Zuko whispered. "I think she is recruiting people."

"Recruiting _you_?" Katara raised an eyebrow.

"No. Ty Lee," Zuko suggested, although he was unsure. "I think she's doing something involving me and you and our future child and it's not going to be good. She would never turn against them, not even for the hottest girl on the planet."

"Maybe you don't know everything she went through," Katara said, and he knew he was in for a ordeal. "I didn't talk to my brother for years over something so stupid."

"She locked me in two burning structures! Two!" Zuko held up his fingers. Katara sighed.

"I believe you," she said softly, calmly, " _but_ as a doctor, I can visibly see that she's been through an ordeal, and as a black-belt, I think I can take her in a pinch. One night, then we'll find her someplace to go."

"I'm trusting you," Zuko said, touching her hand. He loved her, even if he hated Azula.

"Good." Katara smiled reassuringly.

She sat down on the futon as Zuko checked the locks yet again.

It would be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

_Shortly after leaving the Rising Sun and parting ways with Iroh, Zuko found jobs here and there. He had skills for manual labor and not much else. The education in the Rising Sun would be better defined as indoctrination. Not to mention his lack of any degrees or documents confirming his existence. He teams up with two Amish guys and a female runaway._

 _He was on top of a roof when it happened. Zuko jabbed himself with one of the nails, but the sudden, sharp pain was not what made him fall. He had a sudden and overpowering memory of being bled every Saturday's sunrise. A small sacrifice to the God of Fire. Zuko tripped while he was caught up in his own mind._

 _It was clear to him that he would die, but, instead of the fiery home the scriptures promised, he woke in a hospital. The first thing he saw were beautiful cobalt eyes. They were wide and sparkling, pleased that he had not slipped into a coma._

 _"_ _I'm just changing your IV," said the girl. Zuko was tongue-tied. "How are you feeling? Your injuries aren't pretty."_

 _"_ _Who are you?" Zuko rasped, squinting at her._

 _"_ _Katara. I'm a doctor in training, in layman's terms," she explained. She held out her hand to shake his, but he did not react. Hastily, she pulled hers away._

 _"_ _What happened?" Zuko tried not to look at the catheter dug deeply into his left inner-elbow._

 _"_ _You fell off a roof. You were bleeding heavily, but I took care of you. You're in really good hands. I promise," Katara smiled at him. He felt something uncomfortable and weird in his chest. She looked away when an old man with a severe expression entered the hospital room. "Oh, this is Pakku. See you later…?"_

 _"_ _Zuko," he said and she nodded. Katara was gone, and Zuko was left with the doctor._

* * *

Zuko woke up with a sore back.

Katara was talking to Ty Lee in the kitchen. He did not know where Azula was, and that alarmed him. He quickly got up, threw the guest blankets off of him and sat down by them. They stopped talking, which again made him nervous.

"Where's Azula? Did you let her go?" he frantically asked.

Katara answered, "She's still asleep. I checked on her."

"What is it you two are saying that I can't hear?"

Katara stared at the floor for a long while. Ty Lee did not offer any information.

"I'm telling Ty Lee about the Rising Sun. No, not exactly; I'm telling her about loving someone who's been through that."

"Azula hasn't told her anything."

"No. It took you six months of us being together to even mention it."

"Then let me talk about it," Zuko said, turning to Ty Lee. "I grew up in the desert. My great grandfather hit it rich a long time ago and bought a hell of a lot of land in South America and other frivolous bullshit too. The money kept coming and so their little cult was always well-funded. It attracted a lot of rich people who wanted all the benefits. A lot of people from all walks of life, though.

"My father inherited the Rising Sun a year before I ran away. My grandfather was tyrannical as fuck, and his father was too, but mine was somehow worse than them. He burned half of my face off because I spoke out of turn. Fire was the center of the religion. It was salvation and punishment.

"A lot of things still confuse me. It was fucked up, and that's all I really can say. It was fucked up but I wanted to belong because it felt good and I was raised and disciplined to believe in everything they said. It was a nice place for some people, I think. They found community and, I dunno, other shit. I don't know much about how cults like that work, and I didn't even know what a cult was until my uncle told me.

"It was a religious cult, I guess. There were a lot of rituals that I didn't know were fucked up until after I left. People died in them and worse. Um, I looked for my mom when I left. I looked for her for a really long time and I never found her. My uncle helped me get out. I think he already wanted to leave. He and I split up eventually.

"I work construction and I have since I left. I met Katara at a bar. She helped me heal. I was fucked up and lost and a total fucking self-destructive asshole for years because of what they did to me. What else do you want to know?"

Ty Lee was stunned speechless.

Katara decided to speak for her.

"I know it's scary," the doctor said. "It's hard to imagine what that was like."

"It felt normal. To me, that was what a normal childhood was, because I didn't know anything different," Zuko said, standing to pour himself a cup of coffee. "She probably has better skills than me. She doesn't have to marry a rich doctor to get by."

Katara laughed, but Ty Lee did not.

"She has money. She has a lot of it. When we ran off, she took it all out of an ATM before your father could freeze her accounts. It's enough to get started, at least," Ty Lee said.

Zuko imagined Azula had a small fortune at her disposal while she went and slept with potential initiates. Father would give her anything she wanted. She was his heir apparent.

"I know someone who you and Azula can talk to. She helped me disappear, and if that's what you two want, she can give it to you," said Zuko.

"Anything," Ty Lee replied.

She smiled.

* * *

Azula scoffed at her brother's suggestion.

"I'm not talking to some cult expert. I don't need one," Azula snapped, crossing her arms. She looked as if she wouldn't budge, but Zuko knew he had the power over her now.

"She's not going to teach you about cults; she's going to help you escape one," he said, patting himself on the back for being so patient.

"You're kidding," Azula said.

"I think you said you came to me so you could disappear. I'm risking my neck to help you," Zuko snapped. She was getting on his last nerve.

"Fine. I'll talk to her," Azula said. "Just let me take a shower and do my hair."

* * *

Dr. DiGregorio worked three hours away from home. Katara drove. Zuko sat in the back with Ty Lee so that he could perpetually keep his eyes on Azula. She kept her gaze fixed outside of the window for the first hour of the trip.

They stopped at a rest area for drinks and candy. Zuko saw an opportunity. He gave Katara a telling glance and she nodded.

"Ty Lee; want to come in with me?" Zuko asked. Ty Lee smiled and followed him inside.

Places like gas stations were normal parts of Zuko's life, but he always remembered the first one he ever saw. It was magical to him. He got Coke and gummy bears and his uncle predictably purchased tea. A sixteen-year-old Zuko saw a beautiful girl on a postcard, and Zuko instantly became enamored with the outside world.

Ty Lee debated drinks for a few moments, leaning against the open fridge door.

"So, it was family, mostly?"

"My family was royalty there. We never considered any of the followers our family, even if we preached it. Most families play mini golf or Monopoly; we played with people's lives."

Ty Lee settled on a Gatorade.

"The weirdest my family ever got was being ridiculously outdated," she said. "I one time told them to tape _Bones_ and they put a VHS into the TV and literally taped it. In 2014."

"Well, you're lucky. I didn't even see a TV until I ran away."

"You must have been so behind on pop culture!" she exclaimed, pressing her hands against her mouth. She looked terrified and revolted.

Zuko stared at her for a few beats. "Yes. The true tragedy."

"Mhm." Ty Lee picked a second drink. Monster. Zuko thought of about ten jokes about his sister, but none of them were worth saying.

"So, how did you two meet at the circus?" Zuko asked, studying Ty Lee's posture.

She suddenly looked nervous. Zuko felt the hair on the back of his head stand up. She was hiding something, and probably on Azula's bidding.

"Through a friend," Ty Lee weakly suggested. She flashed a plastic smile.

Zuko nodded, pretending to believe her. He did not want to expose Azula until he had all of the evidence he needed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Katara tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She did not know what was taking Zuko and Ty Lee so damned long. Zuko wanted her to question his sister, but she did not know if she would follow through. Finally, she caved.

"Do you love her?" Katara asked, turning to Azula.

"I don't know. I don't care," she replied, shrugging.

"You were willing to leave your home for her," Katara said. Azula did strike her as _odd_ , but Katara chalked that up to being in an insane cult. Then again, she did feel slightly suspicious. Azula seemed at ease half of the time, but seemed pitiful and scared during the other half.

"I know you are interrogating me, and I refuse to comply," said Azula. "Zuko would not have left you alone with me if he didn't want you to _question my motives_. He will never trust me, and if you are _smart_ enough to be a _doctor_ , you shouldn't either."

"Can I ask why I shouldn't trust you?" Katara inquired, now focused intently on her future sister-in-law.

"You can, but I can choose not to answer." Azula sounded _bored_ now.

"And he doesn't trust you because…?" Katara prompted.

Azula took her time. Katara could see her deeply contemplating the best response and wondered if she was warring with the truth or cooking up a lie.

"When we were little," Azula said, "I taught him how to burn ants with a magnifying glass. He was capable of doing that, but not doing the same to a person. I was better than him, and the moment our mother stopped protecting him, his weakness was apparent. My father hates weakness. So do I." Azula shrugged. "I don't think you're weak. I don't think we'll like each other very much, but you're strong, and I can respect that."

Katara felt several levels of disgusted, but didn't see a point in mentioning it. "I guess that's all I can ask."

"You're about as pretty as his first fiancée," Azula commented and Katara choked. "I wouldn't say he _upgraded_ from Mai, but you're hot."

"His first what?" Katara demanded, releasing the steering wheel for the first time.

"Fiancée. She was my best friend, and he was supposed to marry her, but then he ran away." Azula smiled at Katara. It was sadistic, and Katara barely held back from strangling her.

Katara never heard anything about a fiancée. She knew that she _should_ have; that was the kind of information Zuko should have divulged. In the presence of Azula, she kept her cool and decided to confront her fiancé later.

"Good to know," Katara icily said. She could swear Azula smiled to herself for a moment.

Despite vowing to save her anger for later, she couldn't help but glare at Zuko when he walked back to the car.

* * *

"I called ahead," said Zuko as he found a spot in the parking garage. He was grateful that the uncomfortably silent car ride was over. "She said she'd be here to talk to us and we're miraculously on time."

Azula shot him a glance that made him uneasy. His dread had been building for all three hours, and now it reached its climax. He tried to control his breathing as he got out of the car and guided the three women into the business building.

He opted for the stairs; he could not stand to be in another enclosed space with them.

When they reached her door, Zuko's hand froze on the doorknob.

"I can't do this," he said.

Katara swatted his hand away and opened the door.

The room was cold and dark, and Zuko wanted to run. Instead, he waited for Katara, Azula and Ty Lee to step inside. They lingered for a moment, and then the door slammed shut behind them. Zuko grabbed his sister by the wrist and pulled her in front of him.

"That wasn't me!" Azula exclaimed, trying to shake him off.

"It wasn't," said a female voice from across the room. Zuko recognized it, even after ten years. "Although, I'd suspect that too. Welcome to a depressingly easy ambush."

Katara found the light switch, illuminating a pale girl with dark hair, sharp features and a short black dress. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she was from the Rising Sun.

"Who are you?" Katara demanded, clenching her fists.

"I'm last year's model," said Mai, gesturing at Zuko. "That was just to be witty and scathing; it's been ten years and I moved on. I'm here for Azula. Just hand her over and I'll let you all live."

Zuko glared at his sister. "It's a really good time for a selfless and honorable sacrifice."

Azula laughed and replied, "Yes, it is, but I'm not selfless and honor is for insecure morons."

This wouldn't end well.


	3. Chapter 3

"We aren't just handing her over," said Katara boldly, stepping forward without a trace of fear. Mai stood as still as a cat watching a rabbit. "She decided to leave and you people need to let her."

Zuko edged towards the door and Ty Lee quickly followed him. She looked like she was going to faint from terror, but Katara paid it no mind. Azula was silent and emotionless, much to Katara's distaste. Despite her companions, Katara walks closer to Zuko's ex-fiancée.

"She's heir apparent of the Rising Sun and I'm far from the only person who'll come for her," Mai explained, not budging either. "I'm also definitely the least likely to just kill you all and take her."

Mai was cold and statuesque, which Katara never understood in people. She wondered if Mai and Zuko were ever in love, and that fiery feeling in her gut bothered her.

Azula spoke up. "Tell him to make another one," she said, reaching for the door handle. "I left of my own volition and you will not force me to return."

"No, I won't," said Mai. "I'm just giving you a warning. I thought maybe I could bring you home, but, honestly, I don't care what happens to any of you. Goodbye, Azula."

Mai walked away, deeper into the office and out of the second door. Katara had no words; why would the girl just _go_ and leave behind Azula? Maybe it really was a warning, but Katara did not like that speculation.

"We should go home," Zuko said. They had to pack and get on the road; Katara knew that was his plan without asking.

They hurried away from the building, and anxiously walked to the car.

* * *

When Zuko came home, his apartment door was open a crack. The lock had been broken. His heart began to race uncontrollably.

"No," he whispered to himself, barging inside. He drew his switchblade from his pocket and flicked it open. Cautiously, he crept through his home of two years.

While no one was there, the place had been trashed. He checked every single inch of the apartment until he reached his bedroom. It seemed clear, but the symbol of the sun god had been spray painted in red on his closet door. Zuko decided to open it, his stomach doing backflips, and from between the shirts and pants something fell out.

Some _one_ fell out.

Zuko screamed and the three girls ran inside. Katara and Ty Lee reacted in horror when they saw the corpse, while Azula showed no emotion. He knew she was a total psychopath, but _really_.

His sister just asked, "Is that the woman you were taking me to see?"

Zuko nodded.

"We have to pack and get out," he breathlessly said, diving for his dresser drawers.

Katara nodded and got to work alongside him.

* * *

"So," Katara said from the passenger seat, "you had a fiancée?"

Zuko tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He was stuck in a traffic jam and it made him nervous. Azula snickered from the backseat when she saw his discomfort and reddening cheeks.

"It was an arranged marriage from when I was like two. She was col but it wasn't out of love or anything," Zuko hoarsely explained.

He was finding it hard to focus as the traffic crawled forward at the pace of molasses. This was the worst day of his life. It was even worse than when his mother left or when his father burned him, because he thought he was safe.

How foolish that turned out to be.

"Where should we go?" Katara asked, clearly satisfied by his answer. He hated talking about that cult and he was glad he did not have to say any more about Mai or his father or anyone there.

"I want to go to my uncle," said Zuko. "He's our only hope right now. He's really the only person who can help us."

He was so sweaty that his palms were slipping.

"I don't," Azula protested and Zuko sighed. He was having trouble believing that Azula had enough nerve to destroy his life. "He hates me and will not help me."

"He'll help _me_ , and, so unfortunately, we're a package deal at the moment," said Zuko, at last moving out of the thick of the traffic. He could drive faster again, but that almost made things worse. It was very, very hard to focus on the road when he was envisioning the _dead body in his closet._

"Where does he live?" Azula inquired, putting stress on her seatbelt by leaning forward too far and putting stress on her brother by talking in the first place.

"I don't know," Zuko said and Azula sighed, leaning back. Her seatbelt snapped and she hissed. "Why would I know? He's more under the radar than me."

"Did you two fight or something?" Azula asked.

"No. Yes. Okay, yes. I got mad at him and ran off to be on my own, and I found Katara and lost interest in finding him. He'd probably tell me that I lost my way again," Zuko said, slamming on his brakes. Ty Lee screamed. He took a deep breath and corrected his driving.

"So, what did you fight about?" asked Azula.

"We fought all the time, but I just…left him, okay? I don't want to talk about it," Zuko stated, having no desire to spill his heart out to anyone—much less Azula.

"Well, I guess we're having an adventure," Azula said.

Zuko did not respond.

* * *

They arrived at a sketchy motel in the middle of the night. No one wanted to drive anymore, especially without any real direction. Zuko was just running from the city, not running _to_ anywhere. He got food and drinks from a vending machine and walked through the chilly night back to his room.

Azula was lying down and staring at the wall. Ty Lee watched television beside Katara. The channels were not impressive and Zuko's feet stuck to the dingy carpet when he walked. This place grossed him out, but his main concern was being followed.

He knew he was probably being watched.

It was not a good feeling.

"Katara," he said, "can I talk to you outside?"

His fiancée nodded and followed him. They stood on the chipped concrete in the nearly empty parking lot.

"What is it?" Katara asked. Zuko shivered in the night, but Katara never seemed to get cold.

"Have you ever seen _Spellbinder_?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

He tried again with, " _The Wicker Man_?"

Katara again replied, "No."

Zuko sighed. This was not as easy to explain as he wanted to be.

"Do you think she's tricking us? Do you think Mai just showed up to scare us into protecting her? Or following her somewhere awful?"

"I have no idea. Do you think your dad would do that?"

Zuko just laughed.

"That-that…I don't even have a response to that. _Of course_ he would."

Katara frowned.


	4. Chapter 4

**The first flashback in this chapter is about Azula and I'm not intending to bash her at all. She's my favorite character. However, I'm being honest about who she is and what I believe is IC for her and explains much of Zuko's reluctance to trust/help her. I haven't thanked you all for reading and reviewing and encouraging this story. Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me and makes me happy that so many people like it!**

* * *

 _When the two siblings shattered their relationship forever, Zuko was seven and Azula was five._

 _He got the pet he always wanted, a little puppy. Zuko begged and begged his mother for two years, and she finally got the permission from his father to give it as a birthday gift. He also received a beautiful, priceless knife from his doting uncle._

 _Azula watched with envy running through her veins and glinting in her eyes._

 _"You get the good stuff," she said, pointing at the knife on the table and the puppy beneath it. "Why don't_ I _get puppies and knives. I got Barbies for my birthday."_

 _Zuko grinned at her. He did like, for once, to feel superior._

 _He should have known from the rage in her eyes._

 _In the morning, he woke up and saw that he lost his knife. He knew_ exactly _who stole it, and he ran out from his bedroom to track her down. He stopped at the door to their playroom. It was ajar, and he sidled inside. Azula was not in there._

 _His new puppy—Sonny—was. But not alive._

 _He found his knife beside the slaughtered animal._

 _Zuko saw the towering dollhouse adorned with real gemstones—one Azula rejected for reasons unknown to him—had a new alteration._

 _In blood, she had written, "Still smiling, ZuZu?"_

 _If he did not hate her before, he hated her starting on that day._

* * *

"I like these places," said Azula over her third cup of coffee.

They were in another grungy diner.

Katara dared to take another sip of what tasted like swamp water. She changed her mind about it and decided to order a milkshake; water that foul probably was not good for the baby. They were in the middle of nowhere but Katara still felt uneasy, as if everyone in the diner was watching her.

She now understood why Zuko was so paranoid. The Rising Sun was _terrifying_ , darker than the Manson Family or Jonestown when it came to hunting down its old members. If Zuko was telling the truth about burning people alive in frequent human sacrifices, they probably deserve the attention true-crime and cheap documentaries give them.

"I always liked diners too," Katara said, nodding at her sister-in-law. Zuko clenched his jaw, of course offended by anyone showing kindness to Azula. The waitress brushed by and Katara ordered that strawberry milkshake before directing her attention at her fiancé. "So, tell me about Mai? I've been waiting to ask for this whole car ride."

"Which was super ultra long since we had to stop at _every_ dumb boring rest stop," Ty Lee whined. She was less and less charming as time went by; maybe she _was_ a good romantic partner for Azula.

"I'm sorry for being pregnant," Katara snapped, trying not to regret helping a young woman in need. She cleared her throat at Zuko. "Mai?"

Zuko nervously answered, "She's really nice for letting us go. Or there's a horrible plan that counts on us becoming more comfortable after she let us go. Or there's a horrible plan that involved her somehow marking us with a tracker and…"

"I mean your past with her." Katara should have had to explain that.

"When did you become jealous?"

"Maybe on the stupid boring car ride," Ty Lee chimed in.

"I'm not _jealous_ ," Katara said, making Azula cackle. "I'm not. I'm just in a lot of shock from suddenly meeting all the friends and family from the past you never talk about. She was engaged to you, so I assume she's important to you, and so I want to know about her."

Zuko nodded. "I really understand that. It-it sucks. I wish we could've been a normal couple, but my dad was never going to let that happen."

"He is not as bad as you think he is," Azula says, setting down her mug on the scratched, dirty diner table. "He hated you, I know, but I would not call him a portrait of evil."

"I disagree. I think he's a monster and I think he should let us go," Zuko said vehemently. "No; I don't _think_ he's a monster, I _know_ he's a monster."

Azula's expression soured, but she did not bite the hand that fed her. It was clear that she needed his help to escape Ozai.

And Zuko, as much as he despised and distrusted his sister, wanted to help her.

* * *

 _Zuko and Katara fell for each other fast and hard._

 _He was standing in the lobby of the hospital, uncertain where to go or what to do. A piece of paper was clenched in his fist. It was a note from his father, which made it seem like a very bad idea to return to his current residence._

 _He saw the cute doctor staring at him from behind the reception desk. As he lingered, she finally looked up._

 _"You know, you're discharged," she said._

 _"I…" Zuko trailed off._

 _She must have been able to read his face because she said, "I'm off in five minutes. Do you need a place to stay?"_

 _"Uh… yes." He felt his face burn from shame. It was awful to be a beggar._

 _Katara smiled warmly and he felt comforted by it. She had that affect on people._

 _By afternoon, he was at her apartment. It smelled nice and everything in it was blue. Everything. He was impressed by the cleanliness after living in a shack with four other guys after escaping the Rising Sun._

 _He hesitantly sat down on her couch. Zuko didn't want to make it dirty._

 _"So," Katara said, sitting down on the coffee table. Her knees almost touched his and he tried not to think about it, "you got hurt in a construction accident but you don't have anywhere to go?"_

 _"Nope," Zuko said. He wished he did not sound so cavalier about it._

 _"You can stay the night," said Katara._

 _She gazed at him with those stunning blue eyes._

 _He could not help but feel a rush._

* * *

"Do you still love your dad?" Ty Lee whispered. Katara listened from the other bed; they did not have much privacy in cramped motel rooms.

"Of course I do. How could I not?" Azula replied, making it sound like that was obvious. "He gave me everything in the world. I am ashamed of the fact that I spit in the face of all he has done for me."

"But…" Ty Lee simply looked into Azula's golden eyes. She saw something there that Katara did not, and lied down on the bed, ending her conversation with Zuko's sister. "Let's watch TV."

Katara grabbed the remote and turned it on. The news was the first channel and she was about to switch to another show before she heard the reporter say, "Rising Sun."

The woman in a crisp suit was discussing a crime, her eyes placid but clearly sad.

"The fires stretched through the entire city," said the woman. "We have no idea if there will be legal action taken against the fringe cult. Their leader has made a statement that these brutal attacks were extremists who were offshoots of their church…"

Katara changed the channel when Zuko walked out of the bathroom, dripping from the shower but fully dressed.

"What did they do?" Azula asked, lunging for the remote. Katara yanked it away.

She began to wrestle with Katara before Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her off.

"She's _pregnant_ ," Zuko snarled, gently pushing Azula backwards. He turned to his fiancée. "What's she talking about?"

Katara turned back on the news, hoping Zuko would not have a mental breakdown.

* * *

The Rising Sun—or 'extremist offshoots' in Ozai's words—had taken an entire mall hostage and burned people at the stake. They burned the building and it spread to others. Police tried to negotiate but they had no desires other than to spread fear.

It seemed like people were helpless, but Zuko was angry at law enforcement for not saving at least a few people. One-hundred civilians died and almost two-hundred were injured.

"There's no way he can get away with this," Zuko hissed, sitting down with his face ruddy and his fists tightly clenched.

Katara frowned. "Yes, of course there is. The Rising Sun isn't a _cult_ , per se, but a _religion_ and these people were a thousand miles away from the main compound. We don't persecute the leaders of…"

She did not know. There should be special protocol for this, but she was not anywhere near an expert. Katara looked to Azula for help, but got nothing other than a vacant expression.

"It might not have been referring to you," Ty Lee chirped, rubbing Azula's arm. She looked so hopeful; Zuko envied her.

"I am fairly certain: 'return her to our custody or this is only the beginning' might possibly be referring to me," Azula whispered. Her awe seemed genuine and Zuko was starting to believe that she might be telling the truth. He was healthily skeptical, but she did not appear to have any knowledge of this terrorist attack.

Katara set her hand on her stomach.

"She… knew I was pregnant…" Katara whispered.

"And that matters why?" haughtily snapped Azula.

"What if Mai told him?" Katara asked, her voice cracking. "What would the reaction be? Zuko…"

"I'm not sure exactly what, but it probably would be bad," he answered.

* * *

In the morning, Zuko looked at the girls. They were all eating candy bars for breakfast.

"I don't know about my Uncle. I've…" Zuko paused. "I've been thinking and he'll find us if he thinks he needs to. He's tracked me down before. I thought I could do the same but after what happened at the mall I really think we should focus on hiding."

"Where?" Azula asked, cocking an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Somewhere. I don't know. The woods or a little town or a little apartment or somewhere they won't find us," Zuko said.

Ty Lee nodded vigorously. She squeezed Azula's hand.

"I love that idea!" she said.

Azula shook her head.

"Your plan has one flaw," she said gravely. "There is _nowhere_ they won't find us."

As if planned, the group jumped simultaneously as something slid under the door. It made a good deal of noise for nothing but an envelope. Slowly, Zuko rose and walked to pick it up, yanking his fingers away from the crack beneath the door in fear that a knife will slide out too. He walked and set it down on the table. The wax seal on the envelope was impossible to mistake; it was the insignia of the Rising Sun.

"You were saying?" asked Zuko and no one replied. "They could've barged in and killed us, so this letter freaks me out."

"Just open it, coward," Azula snapped, reaching forward and tearing open the seal. She pulled out a piece of paper that looked like ancient parchment but could not be. Scanning it as everyone else waited in frozen silence, she at last finished reading and looked up. "It is a dinner invitation, to... welcome your child into the family."

Katara sank into her chair. Zuko clenched his fists.

"We're..." He clenched his jaw, unable to continue.

Katara interrupted. "We're going to RSVP. Or... just attend. There's no return address. We go to the dinner and..."

"And? And?" Zuko exclaimed, tearing at his hair. "You have NO IDEA what you are dealing with!"

Katara, fuming and red-faced, stood and glared at him. "I know that we're all scared, but maybe if we play along we can do something about this."

"They'll probably sacrifice us at a Sun Altar!" Zuko screamed, but Katara refused to stand down.

"I want to go to the dinner. You all may choose what you want to do," said Katara cleanly, crisply and steadily. "We see what exactly they want from us-"

"They want Azula!" Zuko shouted.

"I think this is the only way to protect ourselves," Katara replied, sitting back down. "I think we need to take chances right now, since finding Iroh seems impossible."

Azula rolled her eyes. "I'm not going with you idiots. I put far too much effort into getting _out_ of that place to get back _in_."

Zuko shook his head. "We both escaped," he said. "We could do it again, and more effectively the second time. Katara might be right about wanting us to go there and figure out the situation, and then… do something."

"So, we board a plane to Arizona and show up at their dinner party and… see what happens?" Azula scathingly asked.

"If you don't like it, we can split up," Katara stated.

That was the end of the conversation.

They had made up their minds.


	5. Chapter 5

_When Zuko walked into the hospital, he found the girl he could not stop thinking about during his construction jobs. She was very beautiful and stubborn and strong and any number of other attractive qualities that he could not resist._

 _She had files in hand and focused on paperwork. Finally, she looked up. Her eyes made it clear that she recognized him and he smiled faintly._

 _Katara calmly said, "You don't look injured… or sick…"_

 _"_ _I'm, uh, I'm here to… I'm Zuko if you're—if you don't remember…" Zuko took a sharp breath. "My Uncle said that in order to court a lady you have to first ask her father, then come to call at her house, and then take her out to do an out-of-home activity and…" Zuko took another deep breath and tried to compose herself. "But I don't know where you live or who your father is and I…"_

 _"_ _That all is very sexist and outdated, and you were a very difficult and stuck-up patient who strikes me as a rich boy who can't handle not getting what he wants." Katara returned to her files._

 _Zuko rubbed his neck and anxiously asked, "Is that a… yes or is it a no?"_

 _Katara frowned. "What do you think?"_

 _"_ _I don't…" he said truthfully._

 _"_ _It's a no, Zuko," said Katara, briefly looking up at him again._

 _"_ _Oh." He wanted to throw a fit but that would only prove her false assertions about him to be true, and so he just backs out of the room._

 _Zuko almost runs to his car from the hospital._

* * *

It was Katara's idea to turn themselves in. Zuko still wanted to fight her on it, but he knew she would go alone if he did not accompany her, so he knew he had to take the risk.

While Katara drove, Zuko examined the dinner invitation again and again. He held the envelope beneath it, occasionally running his fingers over the broken Rising Sun seal. It boggled him that his father would want to _welcome his child into the family_ , and he knew there was a fifty percent chance they would all die and a fifty percent chance they would suffer something worse.

Yet, the Rising Sun was stronger than them. They would hound them to the ends of the Earth unless they played along at least for a little while. If they became the meal or ended up with their hearts ripped out an altar, that would happen. Running seemed futile and the dinner was too tempting to resist, which only made Zuko, Katara, Azula and Ty Lee fidget nervously as they drove to the airport.

Zuko, feeling uncomfortable, turned to Ty Lee. "You… have never been on a plane?"

"Nope. I'm excited," said Ty Lee. "About the plane part, not the turning ourselves over to the Rising Sun part."

Mere minutes later, outside of the airport, "Katara," said Zuko with his brow furrowed, "we still have time to change our minds and stop this madness. I honestly think that accepting their invitation after somebody lit their own body on fire is really stupid. I think you don't fully understand how fucked up this is going to be."

Katara turned to face him, crossing her arms over her ample chest, and said, "I understand that you've been running for years, and I understand that—"

Zuko stepped closer to her and fiercely said, "There is a _reason_ I've been running for years! This isn't some—I don't know—some hippie commune or something—this is worse than anything a horror writer could come up with. This is not a place I want our unborn child or _you_ to go."

Katara locked eyes with him and fearlessly insisted, "I'm getting on that plane, I'm renting a car even if they send us one so that we can—"

"Escape? It's not that easy," Zuko said, shaking his head. They were heading into something awful by accepting the dinner invitation.

"I'm facing this. It's better than driving around and hiding in motels where _obviously_ they can find us. _You_ still have time to leave. _I'm_ getting on that plane come Hell or high water," said Katara.

"I am reluctant to return home, but I am going with her," Azula stated, stepping up over the curb and onto the sidewalk that wrapped around the outside of the airport.

Zuko turned to his sister. "I don't care what _you_ do; I care what _she_ does," he snapped.

"I'll go wherever Azula does," said Ty Lee, wrapping herself around the arm of her girlfriend. Zuko saw them together and wondered why Ty Lee—hot as she was—would be enough to convince Azula to desert the cult that adored her, that raised her.

"Let's get inside. We're going to miss our flight," said Katara.

Zuko reluctantly followed her.

He would not abandoned his unborn child and fiancée, even if she was doing something risky and terrifying. There was no stopping Katara, but there might be protecting her.

Azula and Ty Lee followed close by.

* * *

While on the chilly, stale plane, Zuko sat beside Katara.

He said, still whining about his concerns, "I can't actually believe we're going to do this. This is a horrible plan. This is the kind of plan people make in horror movies," Zuko remarked, turning to his girlfriend. "That get _them killed_."

"So be it," Katara retorted without turning to him. She remained intently focused on a Sky Mall magazine she found in the back pocket of the seat in front of her.

"So be it," muttered Zuko, unable to say much else.

* * *

After the flight, they drove through sweltering desert. They barely spoke; they just turned the radio on. Zuko felt the dread building inside of him, coming to a climax once they reached the gates that towered above the expansive compound.

The doorman let them inside, so long as they abandoned their car. Azula froze in place when they all were getting out. She seemed to be having second thoughts, and Ty Lee remained beside her, afraid to displease her. Yet, once Zuko and Katara began walking, Azula got out and went with them.

They walked through a mock town that made Zuko's skin crawl.

"This is surprisingly nice. It's kind of like a gated neighborhood," remarked Katara.

Zuko held onto her more tightly. She did not know what she was getting into. Azula looked too calm in his opinion and the stares they received from the few people on the feverish sidewalks made him doubly uncomfortable. It had to be a trap. He was walking into a trap all because his wife thought she could outsmart and outplay these people.

After a brief walk, Zuko stood in front of his childhood house. Azula took a slight step back but Katara strode forward and knocked on the scarlet and gold door.

Zuko expected a servant to answer it, but it was his father.

Another terrible sign.

"Welcome home," said Ozai. It did not sound very sincere. "I imagine the decision to attend must have been very difficult. You made the right choice for once. And you brought your sister. That was very smart of you."

"Hello," said Azula. She sounded nervous—a rare tone for her—and Zuko thought perhaps she had been telling the truth about running away. "This is Ty Lee. I like her."

"Save the introductions for the entire family. They are already here. You are all fashionably late," Ozai said, sounding displeased already.

Zuko _knew_ this was a bad idea, but he let it happen. He was ashamed of himself.

Katara walked inside first and the other three hesitantly followed. When they entered and walked into the lavish family room, he saw people he knew. Not all of them were blood related to him but they all were part of this sick inner circle.

Then he noticed the man in the corner and moved towards the door. He heard the lock click and then turned to his fiancée with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" Katara whispered to her fiancé.

"That's my Uncle. Why is he here?" Zuko whispered, eyes widening.

Mai walked up to them. Katara subtly backed away when she saw the girl that caught up to them not long ago. She studied them and then flatly said, "Zuko, do me a favor and go get more firewood before we have the... introductions. You know where it is."

He was glad to leave the room. "Katara," he whispered, nudging her.

Mai said, sighing first, "You have no need to be so paranoid you make your _very_ pregnant fiancée come with you."

Zuko said firmly, "I have every need to be paranoid. Have you ever heard the phrase that it's not paranoia if somebody's out to get you?"

Ozai growled from nearby, "No one is out to get you."

"I'll go with him. He can finish my tour," said Katara. She always was much better with people than Zuko was. He doubted she was fooling anyone here, but at least she knew how to be polite.

The couple walked down the hallway, Zuko guiding her through the winding, blindingly gold corridor until they reached the back patio. Beneath the protective cover of the balcony underside, a gilded box of firewood waited.

Katara turned to Zuko. "I don't know what to think yet. I don't see an out or a plan that can fix our situation. But there is one. There's always an answer and always an escape route."

"Not from this place."

"I didn't mean that as literally as you seem to think. You _know_ I mean an escape route from them hounding us to the ends of the Earth."

Zuko frowned. "Fine. Just because…"

"We don't have much of a choice," she finished.

He picked up the firewood, they exchanged a glance, and they strode back inside.


End file.
